Dear Shocker community,
I want to begin by thanking each of you for your continued dedication to Wichita State University, our students and the communities we serve. Your commitment and creativity are the reasons our institution continues to move forward with confidence — even in challenging times.
As we prepare for the upcoming fiscal year, I want to be transparent about our budget outlook and the realities we face. Like many public institutions across the country, we are navigating an increasingly complex financial landscape. We are seeing the effects of decreased credit hour production, national shifts in student enrollment — especially among out-of-state and international students — and broader changes occurring at the federal and state levels.
At the same time, we remain committed to the priorities that move Wichita State forward; 1) access and affordability, 2) fueling the talent pipeline and 3) increasing economic prosperity for our community. We are also committed to the advancement of our market-based compensation initiative. We must invest in the people who power our mission, and that investment will require us to make difficult but necessary choices.
While we are doing what we can to avoid broad reductions, I want to be candid: reductions will occur. We are currently projecting an overall budget shortfall of 4% to 5%. We are evaluating every possible avenue to close this gap responsibly, with an unwavering focus on minimizing impact to our Shocker community.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Intensified scrutiny of all budgetary expenditures and resource allocations to ensure alignment with strategic priorities.
- Reallocation of existing budgets to support compensation, cover mandatory expense increases (benefits, contracts and scholarships), and absorb unexpected costs.
- Careful monitoring of tuition and enrollment patterns. We are planning for a tuition rate increase of 3.9%, but it could be more, depending on final actions at the state level.
- Assessment of ongoing financial obligations, including those related to the changing collegiate athletics landscape.
These measures may feel disruptive, but they are necessary to sustain the long-term health and competitiveness of our university. We will not sacrifice progress — especially in areas such as enrollment and student success, research growth and employee compensation — but we will make hard decisions, together, in service to our mission.
Our Shocker spirit has always been rooted in innovation, adaptability and community. As we’ve done before, we will meet this moment with resolve and unity.
Thank you for your continued partnership, insight and leadership as we take these next steps together.
President Rick Muma
